


Too Sober

by Jadzia_Bear



Series: Desus ficlet collection [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 13:10:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11082267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadzia_Bear/pseuds/Jadzia_Bear
Summary: “I’m too sober for this,” Jesus says, lifting his bottle of homebrew to his lips and taking a long draught. Beside him, Daryl goes absolutely still.“I can ask someone else if you’re too embarrassed,” Enid says, ever the pragmatist.“No, no, it’s fine,” Paul says. After all, the poor kid needs to get her sex ed somewhere.





	Too Sober

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "I'm too sober for this."

Paul hadn’t realised that the arrival of their little group at Alexandria would warrant a party, but he’s certainly not opposed to it. It’s good to see Maggie, Rosita, Daryl and Enid having such a good time with their old friends. It’s a nice night for it, too, pleasantly cool after a long, hot day, crickets chirping and stars dewy in a velvet-black sky.

He and Daryl have stepped outside of the joyful chaos of the packed Grimes’ residence to sit on the top step of the porch for a bit while Daryl smokes a cigarette, but it’s barely more than a minute before Enid appears at the front door and heads straight for them with drunk determination.

Her hands are empty so she must have finished the single alcoholic beverage she’d been permitted for the night, and good thing it was only one. Her cheeks are pink with it, and from what Paul has observed of her so far tonight, she’s been more talkative than he’s ever seen her.

He gives her a warm smile. They’ve grown quite close since she’s been sharing his trailer, and he’s found himself filling a mentor-type role in her life. He likes to think that it’s his ‘youthful energy’ that makes him more appealing than some of the other adults, but Maggie was quick to assure him that the word he was actually looking for was ‘immaturity’.

Enid plonks herself down beside Paul on the step, forcing him closer to Daryl until they’re pressed together from shoulder to thigh. Daryl is another former Alexandrian he’s been getting to know better, but in a very different way. In fact, they’d even kissed for the first time two days ago, but Paul hasn’t pushed for anything more since, wanting to give Daryl all the time he needed to adjust to the concept of being with a guy.

“I have a question,” Enid declares.

Paul leans back on his elbows. “Shoot.”

“I don’t understand anal sex,” she states without compunction. “Can you explain it to me?”

For a long moment, the only sound to be heard is the chirping of the crickets. Beside him, Daryl goes absolutely still.

“I’m too sober for this,” Jesus says, lifting his bottle of homebrew to his lips and taking a long draught.

“I can ask someone else if you’re too embarrassed,” Enid says, ever the pragmatist.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Paul says. After all, the poor kid needs to get her sex ed somewhere. He takes one more swig to fortify himself for what’s to come. “So, what are you confused about? The mechanics of it?”

“Yeah,” she says, leaning back on her elbows beside him, “and, like, what people like about it.”

And so Paul proceeds to explain. It would be a lot less weird if his crush wasn’t sitting right beside him, but he wants to make sure Daryl knows this stuff too, about lube and preparation and the prostate and how good it can feel for all involved. Paul wouldn’t have been surprised if Daryl had got up and left, too uncomfortable with the subject matter, but he doesn’t, just listens silently to every word, gaze fixed on the bottom stair.

Paul concludes his sexual health lesson by pointing out that he doesn’t know much about the topic from a woman’s point of view, and that Enid might want to ask someone else about that.

Enid nods matter-of-factly, then promptly stands and marches back inside. “Maggie!” she shouts over the noise of the party, “I have a question!”

Paul chuckles and shakes his head. He shifts away from Daryl, but only a little and Daryl fills the space so that their sides are still lightly touching.

Daryl takes a final drag of his cigarette and flicks it away. “So that’s what you do, huh?”

“That’s not the only thing we can do,” Paul responds lightly. He means ‘we’ as in gay men in general, but Daryl’s head twitches towards him and he realises that it sounded like he meant ‘we’ as in the two of them.

“What else is there?” Daryl asks in a low rumble.

What an opening. He shifts on the step so he’s facing Daryl a little more. “Well, there’s always handjobs and blowjobs.” Daryl doesn’t meet his eyes, but his chest is rising and falling with silent, shallow breaths, and he’s at least half-hard in his pants. “But one of my favourite things to do,” Paul murmurs, leaning in closer under the guise of not being overheard by the party-goers inside, “is to lie facing each other with one hand wrapped around both of us…”

Daryl seems get the picture, at least going by the small grunt of want that escapes him.

“Or I could just show you?” Paul breathes, hoping to god that this is the right move, that he’s not about to scare Daryl off.

“Let’s go,” Daryl rasps, jerking his head towards the house next door that was theirs for the duration of their stay. He stands abruptly and starts down the stairs.

It’s all Paul can do to make himself walk like the mature adult that he _is_ (thank you, Maggie) and not run after Daryl like an eager puppy.


End file.
